24 Hours to Live
by HoaBurkfield
Summary: Eddie has 24 hours to live. So now he's spending his last day fulfilling his bucket list with Patricia, keeping her in the dark the whole time. When the end of the day nears, he has one last dying wish. To tell Patricia he loves her. For HOA one shot day 2013!


**This is my attempt at making a completely devastating story cute and fluffy. (Well, somewhat, there had to be sadness too or it just wouldn't make sense) And I know there's probably no such disease that's painless and kills you in 48 hours, but for the sake of this story, can we live in a magical world where it's possible? **

"_Edison Miller, you have 2 days to live."_

Eddie lies awake in bed, tossing and turning. He was diagnosed with a fatal disease earlier in the week, and made sure only his dad and Trudy knew about it. He doesn't want sympathy. He doesn't _need _sympathy. But he would miss it when he's gone, and tomorrow is his last day. Eddie has 24 hours to live.

"Yacker!" Eddie whispers to his sleeping girlfriend, trying to keep a smile plastered on his face. His head pounding and eyes bloodshot, he's lucky Patricia will be too tired to notice when she awakes from her deep sleep.

"Eddie? What do you want? It's like the middle of the night!" She snaps, covering her face with a pillow.

"Actually, it's only seven, and I really..." Eddie stops when his voice cracks, because going any further will cause tears. And if Patricia sees him cry, he'll have to break the news to her. Which just can't happen.

Even in her exhausted state, Patricia can see there's something off about Eddie. "Is everything ok?" She asks, removing the pillow.

"Fine, everything's fine." Eddie replies, maybe a little too quickly. "I really want you to come somewhere with me."

Patricia wants to push him out of her room and tell him that's a ridiculous request, but something she sees in his eyes changes her mind. Eddies eyes are desperate and pleading, bloodshot and filled with fear. She has no idea what's going on and what happened to him, but she's not good with feelings. Whatever it is that's bothering him, he would tell her eventually.

"Ok..." She sighs. "Where are we going?"

Eddie smiles, for the first time since he discovered his fate. "_Everywhere."_

* * *

_"_Eddie you still haven't told me where we're going!" Patricia complains, as Eddie drags her down the sidewalk.

"I told you! We're going everywhere!" Eddie says, mentally going over his bucket list. He made it the day he found out he didn't have much time left, filling it with things he wanted to do with Patricia. It was small, but for some reason they were important to him.

_1. Buy one of each candy from the candy store. _

"And you know what I've always wanted to do?" He says, glancing towards the candy store they're getting close to.

She shrugs, finding herself getting pulled towards a store entrance.

"Here, I'll show you." Eddie pulls Patricia all the way in, taking in the image of the colorful, sugar coated room that stands before them.

Smiling broadly and grabbing a paper bag, he starts to walk around the store, taking one candy from each jar and not missing a single one.

"You are such a child." Patricia sighs, crossing her arms.

Eddie whips around, smirking. "Maybe, but I know you'll miss me."

"Wait... what do you mean I'll miss you?"

Eddie's eyes widen. "Oh uh... Hey! They have orange slices! I love those!" He grabs one out of the jar, smiling awkwardly and turning away.

Ignoring Eddie's odd behavior, she picks up a bag and grabs his hand. "I guess you only live once." And she can't help but smile as she plops candy into the bag.

Eddie half smiles, squeezing her hand. If only she knew how true her last sentence was.

* * *

_2. Dye my hair bright blue._

"What do you think?" Eddie smirks, sitting in the chair next to Patricia in the hairdresser waiting room. Her jaw drops to the floor, along with the magazine she was reading.

Eddie's hair, normally light brown, is _blue. _

"Eddie what did you do!?"

"Just a new look I'm trying, it works for me doesn't it?"

"You're insane, why are you doing this?" Patricia asks, her tone serious. Eddie sits next to her, sighing.

"Patricia I think it's time I tell you..." Eddie trails off, as he looks into Patricia's eyes. He can't tell her that he's never going to see her again. He wants his last memories of her to be happy. "That I'm crazy." He sighs, the corners of his lips twitching up. "I've wanted to dye my hair blue my whole life, and you caught me." He stands up, extending a hand out to Patricia. "Join me on the rest of my adventure?"

"I will... On one condition. You let me call you little boy blue."

"Deal." Eddie smiles, pulling her up and wrapping an arm around her as they walked. "But I don't think I could've stopped you even if I wanted to."

* * *

_3. Name an animal after someone._

"So we went to the petting zoo and named all of the bunnies..." Patricia sighs, smiling slightly at the thought of the names Eddie gave. (Sniffles, Professor Carrots, and _Yacker, "because this ones adorable.") _

_4. Go see a terrible movie and laugh at all the serious parts. _

"And we went to see 'Love hurts,' the worst movie in history." She continues as they walk, and Eddie bursts out laughing just hearing the title. "we "Anything else on your crazy agenda?" He nods and Patricia smiles, because she's actually having fun.

"Just a few more things." Eddie's mood is visibly less cheerful, because the end of the day is nearing. He wants to tell Patricia before she finds out for herself, but when is a good time to tell someone you're about to die? Luckily his thoughts are interrupted when they come to a stop at the entrance gate to, "Roller Coaster Land", one of the only theme parks anywhere near anubis house.

_5. Ride a roller coaster with Patricia (who's terrified of them.)_

'No!" Patricia screams, drawing attention to herself. "You know I hate roller coasters Eddie, why would you do this to me?"

"Yacker there's nothing to be afraid of, I promise." Eddie grabs her hand, attempting to pull her to the ticket booth. But she doesn't budge. Instead she stares at Eddie and scowls.

"I'm not _afraid _of roller coasters, I just.."

"Well if you're not afraid then you have no reason not to come with me." Eddie smirks, paying for their tickets and pulling her in before she can argue.

Walking hand in hand, Eddie can feel Patricia shaking as they approach the towering ride, hearing terrified screams every time the car flies by. "Eddie they're _screaming. _Why would be screaming if they were having fun?"

"Those are screams of joy, Yacker." Eddie laughs, receiving a punch in the arm from Patricia. "Come on!" He urges. "It's our turn."

"I swear weasel if I get injured in any way-"

"You'll be _fine," _Eddie comforts, pushing Patricia into a seat and sitting next to her.

She considers making a run for it, but the bar is already locked.

"Not scared, huh?" Eddie says, noticing Patricia frantically trying to squeeze out of the metal bar that's constricting her. She just swallows hard in response. Eddie wraps his arms around her waist, pulling her close to him. "I'll protect you."

And all she has time for is a nervous smile before the car jolts forward, sending them up a steep incline. It's going pretty slow, so she relaxes. But then the car gets to the top of the incline and stops abruptly, teetering over a huge decline, followed by a series of turns and loops. Her deep breaths turning to hyperventilation, the car falls forward.

Patricia screams, instinctively wrapping her arms around Eddie and hiding her face in his chest. Which surprisingly calms her down enough to stop hyperventilating. "See, it's not so bad right?" Eddie asks, hardly able to stop smiling. Patricia's practically _cuddling _with him. _Willingly. _She doesn't answer his question, because she refuses to tear herself away from the safety of Eddie's arms. And this pattern continues, through every twist and turn, until the torture finally comes to a stop.

"Is it over? Am I dead?" Patricia asks, picking up her head and untangling herself from Eddie.

"No, you survived, thanks to me." Eddie grins, standing up as the bar lifts.

Too disoriented to comment on Eddie's remark, she just follows him out of the gate, stumbling into every obstacle in their path. "I am _never _doing that again."

"That's ok," Eddie smiles, wrapping an arm around an extremely dizzy Patricia. "Once is enough. It made this day _perfect."_

* * *

It was so close. The _end. _Every happy memory of his last day flashes through his mind, giving him a mixture of happiness and devastation. Eddie only had two things left to do, and he had to do them fast. His disease was almost painless up until a certain point, and that point was now. He didn't have much time left.

_6. Tell everyone at anubis house how much they really mean to me. _

Sitting in his room, staring at a blank piece of paper, Eddie starts;

_Dear Fabian, _

And that's as far as he gets before Patricia bursts in his room. "Eddie Trudy told me to tell you that dinners ready..." She starts, as he turns around to face her. "Are you ok?" He just nods, and Patricia, unconvinced, sits on his bed. "It's time to tell me what's going on Eddie. You dragged me all around town, doing all these crazy things... almost like we were completing a bucket list or something."

A look of guilt crosses Eddie's eyes as she says this.

"Is that what it was? A bucket list?" She asks gently, seeing how hurt and terrified Eddie looks.

"Yeah." He whispers, avoiding eye contact. " I.. Just didn't know how to tell you that I..." He turns away from her, hoping she couldn't see the tears in his eyes. "That I'm dying."

Patricia quickly stands, anger rising within her. "Eddie that's not funny!" He turns around to defend himself, and Patricia sees the tears in his eyes, causing her heart to speed up.

"Patricia I'm serious!"

And she knows he must be telling the truth, because he used her real name.

"I've known for awhile now," Eddie chokes. "They told me this was my last day, I... I just didn't know how to tell you." His world is suddenly spinning, and breathing is starting to become difficult.

"Eddie that's not... How..." Patricia doesn't know what to say, because the days events are all starting to make sense. She looks up at Eddie and tries not to scream at him. If he really is about to die, that would be a terrible thing to do. She just doesn't know how handle this. Before she has a chance to say anything, she notices Eddie holding his head, taking sharp breaths. "Eddie! Are you ok?"

He answers Patricia's question when he collapses to the floor.

* * *

"You weren't kidding," Patricia whispers. "This really is your last day." She stares at Eddie, laying in the hospital bed, smiling at her.

"But it was perfect, because I spent it with you."

Patricia lets an involuntary sob escape. She suddenly wants to take back every harsh word she's ever spoken to Eddie. More and more tears escape and fall down her cheek, and now Patricia's really crying. This is _really _happening.

"I can't believe this is really the end." Fabian says, and the rest of the anubis house residents nod, tears staining their cheeks.

"You guys changed my life." Eddie says to everyone, smiling weakly. "I'm so glad I came to anubis house."

"Well it'll never be the same without you,"Joy assures him, smiling through tears.

_7. Tell Patricia I love her. _

"Yacker?" Eddie turns to his sobbing girlfriend, who's kneeling by his bed. "I love you, ok? I've been trying so hard to find the right way to tell you, but I guess this is my last chance."

"I love you too." Patricia whispers, and she realizes she didn't even hesitate to say it. Because she does love Eddie, he changed her whole world. "And... I'll never forget you, ever." She smiles, despite the pain that's eating away at her. You changed my life. You'll always be my weaselface."

Eddie smiles one last time as the monitor speeds, squeezing Patricia's hand.

"And You'll always be my Yacker."

**I just want to say I'm deeply sorry if you had higher expectations for this story. I don't know what went wrong, but I know I could've done so much better. I'm also sorry that this was so unrealistic (I know I mentioned that already) and I'm sorry this had a sad ending. If anyone's interested I'll extend the ending and make it happy. Happy HOA one shot day! **


End file.
